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The Works Tour in 1984/1985 was one of Queen's largest tours and included the Brazil Rock in Rio festival—in which they appeared on stage at two o'clock in the morning in front of 470,000 people during the first night and 250,000 on the second night. This tour is the first time Queen did not perform in North America. The lack of US dates is seen as peculiar given that Mercury had started living in New York around this time. The album was partially recorded in Los Angeles, and Queen had changed their US label from Elektra to Capitol. It was rumored that a full-scale US tour would put too much strain on Mercury's voice. Both media reports (e.g. covering the Wembley Arena show) and bootleg recordings throughout the tour show that Mercury would sometimes have vocal difficulties. Usually Mercury wore leotards reminiscent of his seventies attire but, in keeping with its unconventional video, on a number of occasions he would make a cameo appearance dressed, or partly dressed, in drag when "I Want to Break Free" was being performed. This sometimes received a mixed reception. Audiences reproduced the synchronised hand-clapping routine that appeared in the "Radio Ga Ga" video during the choruses of this song. In this tour, the band brought back some of the material from their first three albums into the set-list as part of a 'flash-back' medley. Rick Parfitt from Status Quo also appeared on-stage with the band during one of their London gigs and Tony Hadley from Spandau Ballet appeared on-stage with the band during their only New Zealand concert.

Queen were to participate in two music festivals (in 1984 and 1986) at Montreux in Switzerland, where they lip-synched a small selection of their latest material. This surprised many onlookers as the band had often spoken out strongly against this style of performance. The concerts were filmed and then broadcast to many millions of people throughout Europe. To their fans, it seemed obvious that the band, as well as some members of the audience, were dis-oriented and somewhat confused during these faked performances.

The 1984 performances in Sun City, South Africa landed the band in hot water. Many well-known acts, both before and after Queen, have played at the holiday resort in the desert and were not subsequently criticized for it. The international deploration of apartheid, however, would reach a high-point shortly after the band performed. Many action groups, including a group of musicians called Artists United Against Apartheid, publicly condemned Queen for their appearances at the resort. To try to calm the waters, Queen officially released a statement that they had no wish to promote racial prejudice.


Lyrics

Here we stand or here we fall
History won't care at all
Make the bed, light the light
Lady Mercy won't be home tonight.

You don't waste no time at all
Don't hear the bell but you answer the call
It comes to you as to us all
We're just waiting for the hammer to fall

Oh every night, and every day
A little piece of you is falling away
But lift your face the Western Way
Build your muscles as your body decays.

Tow the line and play their game
Let the anaesthetic cover it all
Till one day they call your name
You know it's time for the hammer to fall.

Rich or poor or famous for
Your truth it's all the same
(Oh no! Oh no!)
Lock your door but rain is pouring
Through your window pane
(Oh no!)
Baby, now your struggle's all vain.

For we who grew up tall and proud
In the shadow of the Mushroom Cloud
Convinced our voices can't be heard
We just wanna scream it louder and louder and louder

What the hell are we fighting for?
Just surrender and it won't hurt at all
You just got time to say your prayers
While you're waiting for the hammer to—hammer to fall.

Yeah! Yes.
Let's get on the floor!
Yeah! Hammer!
You know
Hammer to fall!

Yeah!

I've been waiting for the hammer to fall!
While you're waiting for the hammer to fall.

Give it to me one more time!